From time to time, I still go back and watch this series of reporting by Simon Ostrovsky from Vice News in 2014 during the Russian invasion of Crimea. I remember watching it each day as the situation in Crimea was unfolding. Simon Ostrovsky is such a bad ass for just wondering around and asking Russian soldiers questions, climbing over the wall of a Ukrainian Naval base, walking right into the middle of a protest with Russians sending signals that they wanted to get violent.
This series speaks to so much more than just the sad situation in Ukraine, it highlights how our ancestors might have lived, and what the end of the world might look actually look like. It speaks to human nature, the duality of man, our cognitive dissonance about who we are, and where we belong, and when we should use violence. It questions who we should trust, and about whether we are born into a tribe and grow into individuals, or the opposite. When you watch it with Shoshin It’s incredibly deep.
This scene is particularly amazing. A Russian soldier and a Ukrainian soldier, stand next to each other, looking out the gate of the Ukrainian Naval base, making fun of Cossacks wearing Soviet-era clothes. It’s incredible. The Russian soldiers have entered the base with their weapons. The Ukrainians have put their weapons in lockers as not to provoke them. It’s complete sci-fi level dystopian chaos, and yet, they make fun of the Cossacks.
In 2025, I think this also speaks to the vitriol in the current state of politics in the US. We don’t know who we are, what we believe, or what tribe we belong to.